Have you been conned?

As most holiday clubs in Singapore operate in a similar fashion, these are some of the tactics we are familiar with. 

• Were you approached by someone with a survey form and a scratch card in a shopping area (usually Orchard Road, but more recently even suburban shopping centres as far away as Eastpoint)? Or were you approached on the phone by someone saying you have won a prize for some lucky draw you took part in, which you don't even remember?

• Did they tell you you have won a prize: top prize being a 1 week stay at an international resort and other prizes such as a digital camera? Did they appear extremely happy for you and keep telling you how lucky you are? 

• Did they tell you that to claim your prize, you had to attend a 45 min presentation, with no obligations to buy anything?

• If you were recruited by phone, did they tell you to bring along your credit card, to match the last 4 digits with their lucky draw prize?

• If the place where you were recruited was far away from their office, did they offer to take you there by taxi on the spot  free of charge?

• When you arrived at their office, did you make you turn off your mobile phones before you entered? Did they actually make sure you did so?

• Did the salesman try to "get to know you" and ask questions related to your income and spending patterns to access how much money you could afford? Did they also ask questions as to whether you are financially independent?

• Did he present the points to you on paper, written upside down? 

• Was the sales presentation often interrupted by the sales manager who would pop by every now and then and ask if everything was alright? And did this sales manager appear at moments where the salesman had difficulty persuading you on certain issues?

• Did they refuse to reveal the cost of membership until the end, when you are totally worn out? And was it revealed by the sales manager who tried to confuse you with many figures? Did the salesman say he is not allowed to reveal figures?

• When you said you couldn't afford something so expensive, did they try to reduce it to sound attractive to you? (ie. did the $20K membership suddenly become $10K?) Did they also promise other freebies thrown in? Cruise voucher etc..

• Did they tell you that only the largest units were available and when you said you didn't need something so large, the smaller units suddenly became available too?

• Did they say that this special offer is valid only if you sign today? And it was a once in a lifetime offer? 

• When you said you didn't have the means to pay everything up in full, did they work out a very attractive 0% interest installment for you? Did they ask you how much you can afford to pay per month? Just when you thought the figure was too low for them to accept (say $150 per month), did they suddenly say yes to it?

• Did they make you put down a deposit (usually 10% of the contract)?

• Did the presentation take longer than the promised 45 min?

• Even before you have actually made up your mind, did they ask you for your credit card and usher you to another office to sign the agreement? 

• Did they shake your hand and ring the bell to congratulate you?

• Did they make you pose for a picture showing how happy you are?

• When you signed the agreement, did they make you do another survey form to find out whether you have been put under stress during the presentation?

• After returning home, did you feel lousy about the whole event? 

If you answered "YES" to most of these questions, you have probably signed up with one of these holiday clubs who are more interested in taking money into their own pockets instead of providing an honest and reliable service to their clients. If they are really legitimate, why do they need to do business in this manner? 

High pressure tactics

In case you haven't noticed, these constitute high pressured selling practices.

• demanding to know whether you have a credit card in their survey forms (in order to screen off non-credit card holders who may not be as useful to them)

• demanding to know how much money you earn in the survey (again, it's to access your spending power)

• requesting you identify yourself by your credit number (e.g. to match the last digits of your credit card to win a lucky hamper)

• refusing to provide information about the cost of the holiday club until the end.

• Demanding your credit card the moment they agreed to the price you quoted, even though you may not have made up your mind yet.

• Holding you for long hours in the office, without allowing contact with an external party (through mobile phone)

Click here for Specific Unfair Practices as stated by the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act 2003

A) There is the good guy, the sales person "wants to be your friend". By softening you up, he sizes up how much you earn and spend, and how likely you'll fall into the trap.

B) The bad guy is the sales manager, who dazzles and pressures you with figures and tells you you'll be mad to lose such an opportunity if you don't sign up like everyone else today. 

C) Soon after they agree to the price you bargained, they demand your credit card to swipe. 

Timeshare or Holiday Club?   

( from TCA site) 

It is often difficult to recognise whether you have bought into a timeshare or into a holiday/travel club because salesmen try to avoid using the word "timeshare". 　

If your purchase agreement includes all of the following, then you have bought conventional timeshare: „The apartment number or size, the week number or colour, the use for more than three years.　

If your purchase agreement includes the following, then you have bought into a timeshare "points" system: „the number of points or number of weeks „the or an apartment size „the  use for more than three years.

If your purchase agreement is not one of the above then you have probably bought into a holiday or vacation club. 

If you wish to get out of your present holiday club contract, or if you've already gotten out of it, but wish to seek a refund for the deposit made, please read the  advice in the links above.